


This Ain't a Game

by CionAltima



Series: X Squad Clones [3]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Anxiety, Blood and Torture, Gen, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Piercings, Rescue, semi kidnapping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-05
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-07-25 11:05:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16196270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CionAltima/pseuds/CionAltima
Summary: The ship came out of hyperdrive in orbit of an uninhabited planet. General Krell had deemed it would be the place of their base, even though there were frequent storms of acid resulting in them having to build in one of the steep cliffs overseeing the only body of water. X-379’s voice could be heard over the comms as he announced their arrival home.





	This Ain't a Game

The ship came out of hyperdrive in orbit of an uninhabited planet. General Krell had deemed it would be the place of their base, even though there were frequent storms of acid resulting in them having to build in one of the steep cliffs overseeing the only body of water. X-379’s voice could be heard over the comms as he announced their arrival home. Any other group of clones would be ecstatic and cheering for finally getting a break from the frontlines and getting a chance to talk to others not in their battalion. Not the X squad. They had all the information they needed about Coruscant, but they’d never stepped foot on the planet.

X-378 had been silent during dinner as he and his brothers tore into the last of their military rations. His hearing aids were currently in their charging port next to his bunk and so the only sound filling his head was the never ending ringing that only left him in peace once asleep. The ration sticks were stale and tasteless, never sitting well in any of their stomachs. It’s just how things were during a war. With half the stick shoved in his mouth he got up and headed out of the small cargo bay and made his rounds of the ship.

Only one of his brothers knew about the situation general Krell had put him in, but there wasn’t much that X-376 could do with any of the information against the general about his treatment of the men under his command. He was a Jedi. They were the almighty peace keepers now leading an all-out galactic war. He and the millions of clones were constructed to follow the Republic, to bend to the will of those holding his life in their hands.

X-378 paused and crouched down in the hallway to peer through the grate on the floor. His eyes hadn’t been playing tricks on him when the red blinking light went off again in the vent. He carefully pulled up the rusted grate and leaned it against the wall before reaching his arm into the crawl space. It was a standard issued explosive that all battalions were given, but he’d snagged so many from carefully placed spots that he knew these were not based on a count down. No, Krell had them altered to be remotely controlled. 

With nimble fingers he pried the bomb off the side of the vent and sat back on his heels. Turning it over he visibly relaxed realizing that it was just a disguised shock bomb. Nothing lethal. That couldn’t be said for all the previous ones he had found though. All of them had been repurposed for the X squad’s use by his own hand of course and this latest one would be handy. If only he could get his bomb making materials from an actual shipment of supplies, oh but that would be asking too much. After placing the grate back, he headed to the cargo bay to dismantle it and organize the pieces in his bin.  
The ship jolted as it broke through the planet’s atmosphere and dipped for the surface. It was evident that it was X-379 flying the ship as it tilted to the right sharply to avoid one of the many jutting rock formations. Fortunately, X-377 was doing much better, but was still being confined to the medbay, captain’s orders. The ship gave a creaking sigh of relief as its landing gear settled against the stone of the cut out base’s hanger.

The clones all stepped out from the cargo’s ramp, minus X-376 who had already slipped past and had already taken to the vents of their base. They made their way to their barracks to pull off their armor. After every mission they were called back to their base and they would wordlessly go through the ritual. First the helmet, set on the pillow, then followed the chest plate, shoulders, arms, hands, legs, and boots. All lined out neatly on their hard cots. The only being empty always was X-376’s cot. He was never without his armor if it was avoidable. Krell couldn’t drill that act into him and Krell let it slide. He still had full control over X-376 through his batchmates. Even though he stayed hidden and never interacted with them face to helmet didn’t mean he had no love for them. There was just information he couldn’t dare trust with anyone, he’d seen other clones turn against their own brothers.

X-376 watched, holding his breath as best he could to stifle his labored breathing, as his brothers each entered a separate debriefing room. He watched as the Besalisk male walked down the dimly lit hallway and stopped at the first door. Krell was definitely a sight to see, two sets of arms, yellow eyes, muddy brown skin, three plated crests on his head instead of hair, and a flabby, what X-376 could only explain as a chin. Chrono’s door. Krell held his second set of hands behind his back as he tapped in his own code to the door as his yellow eyes glared to either side of the hallway. X-376 watched as the general stepped inside before he let go of the ceiling.

He righted himself mid drop and landed silently in front of the only empty debriefing room. The door slid to the side with the sound of metal scraping against metal. As soon as he stepped through the door it shut behind him with the same grating noise. Nothing at the base was functional. The only light in the room was a flickering mess, giving the whole place an even darker feel.

X-376 slowly lifted his helmet off his head with unsteady hands, inhaled sharply, and nearly slammed his grey helmet on the counter lining the left wall of the small room. He hated this. Hated the war. Hated the Jedi. Hated the general. Hated his willingness to go along with all of this. But what choice did he have? None. His voice didn’t matter to the Senate or the Jedi Council.

He froze up hearing the door open rip through the quiet calm. The armor was hastily stripped by visibly trembling hands as X-376’s breathing became more labored by the second. His chest felt so tight and his vision was already spinning.

“Even though I spent my time dealing with the other defected clones you’re just idling X-376.” Krell’s deep voice filled the room as he took slow deliberate steps towards X-376. He was a good head taller than the clones and used it in his advantage against them. A strong set of hands set against X-376’s shoulders and led him to the metal table in the center of the room. He didn’t resist as he was made to lay on his back and stare blankly up at the ceiling. “I see that your squad managed to return. What about the mission?”

“All intel was retrieved before the EMP was set off, effectively ruining their computers and taking out the droids sir.” X-376 cleared his throat before responding. He could sense the general slowly circling the table but didn’t dare look.

“And what of X-377?” Krell snarled while slamming a fist on either side of his head. “The mission is more important than a clone.”

“He found us sir.” 

“That kind of accident could have been avoided.” Krell stated as he stepped over to the counter. His favorite equipment was lined up in a neat and orderly fashion. No one touched them but him. The last time he had to administer their punishment he’d focused on the use of his light sabers and the burn they could give when held up close to flesh. It had definitely resulted in interesting reactions from the clones. Surely showing the recordings of his sessions would impress the sith and get him a spot in their new world. It was emerging, he had seen it.  
“Can’t have you biting off your tongue.”

X-376 struggled, thrashing his head from side to side before Krell gripped his jaw in his hand to the point of almost breaking bone. The dirty rag was shoved into his mouth and the taste of oil and grit exploded on his tongue. He grunted in displeasure as Krell held his right arm down while pulling back the sleeve of his blacks exposing his brown skin.

His amber eyes darted to his arm to try and see what the general had planned, but his view was completely blocked. He inhaled sharped feeling a quick stab go through his skin, the cool of metal and then another puncturing stab. This continued all the way up his forearm and to his upper arm. The two arms holding his limb down was the only thing that prevented any further damage from happening as his spasms did cause Krell to slip with the outdated piercing instrument, resulting in small drops of blood welling up.

X-376 slipped into a dazed state as the modifications were continued, another row of metal rings in his arm parallel to the first and then replicated on his left arm. By the time the ordeal was done tears had welled up in his eyes and slipped down the side of his face. He blinked furiously trying to get rid of the stinging feeling they left as Krell methodically laced a white ribbon through the metal rings like one of those old corsets. Krell laced it so that X-376 had to keep his forearm flush against his upper arms unless he wanted to pull on the rings embedded in his skin now.

X-376 dug his nails into his shoulders through his blacks and his body stayed tense as the general left the room. This was definitely new and left him with two options. Face his vode without his armor let alone his helmet! Or seek out the general at a later time when he was hopefully in a slightly better mood. He groaned hearing the damned door open again and tried to keep his eyes open as a slimmer figure than the general approached him.

Kiddy had watched and waited as Krell took his time in the “briefing” room. He clenched his fists and tried to calm his breathing feeling fear and pain wash over him and pool in his arms. They weren’t anywhere near to being a briefing room, torture. That’s what happened behind the closed doors. In the months that he had been monitoring and watching the X squad he had to face the shocking treatment they experienced at the hands of their own general. He’d personally see to it that general Krell met the end he deserved. 

His moment arose as Krell left the room that held X-376 and headed back to the hanger. A man of habit, once having his sick fun he’d leave to return to the battalion of clones under his orders. Kiddy ran down the hall, his long black jacket billowing out behind him as he reached the door Krell had existed from. He swiftly tapped in the code and stepped into the room.

He faltered seeing X-376 on a metal table and slowly approached him not wanting to startle him. Once getting a closer look of his folded arms Kiddy grimaced and grabbed a knife from his belt. He slowly cut the ribbon, doing his best to not tug on the metal.

“Karmeleon? X-376 can you hear me?” Kiddy whispered while slowly prying the man’s fingers from his shoulders and then removing the disgusting rag from his mouth. “C’mon gotta get ya to Mighty. He’ll fix ya right up.”

He frowned seeing as he wasn’t getting any response and fumbled to press his pointer and index finger against the other’s neck. He chuckled in relief feeling a faint pulse and slowly slipped an arm under X-376’s knees and then his armpits. He hefted him up off the table, positioning him so his head and right arm was draped over his shoulder, and left arm wrapped around his neck that way he only had to use one arm to support his legs. It honestly scared him how easy it was to carry the other. X-376 was so light it was like he weighed nothing.

Kiddy rushed out of the disgusting room and back out into the hallway just as the rest of the X squad were leaving their rooms. He cursed under his breath as he rushed past the other four, carrying their batchmate. X-379 was the first to snap out of his stupor and shout.

“Hey! Stop!” X-379 chased after the mysterious clone, he’d never known any of them to be allowed to wear civvy clothes. “That’s my batchmate! Karmeleon!”

X-379 smirked hearing the rest of his squad right behind him. They may never see X-376, but they’d never let some stranger manhandle him. They spilled out into the hanger to see a smaller ship with its door closing, the unknown clone and X-376 in his arms standing inside. X-378 shoved past his brothers and threw with all his might a small tracking device at the lifting ship. He slumped to the cold brown stone floor as the ship left the hanger taking their vod with it.

“Everyone armor now. X-375 grab mine I’m starting the ship engines.” X-379 snarled as his face contorted in anger. He didn’t wait for the other’s response as he stalked off to their ship and paused seeing a supply crate in the cargo bay. A brand new looking supply crate. He ripped off the lid and stared speechless at the contents. More Nutrient Bars, hygiene supplies, weapon parts, and medical supplies. Nothing was broken. It was all fresh and new. He shoved the lid back in place and went to start the engines. They didn’t have time to speculate the mysterious box and why they finally received useful supplies. They had a brother to retrieve.

**Author's Note:**

> My Star Wars centric blog is clonesquadxbatch. I have more tid bit facts about my boys there along with my friend posting short stories of our clones interacting! Kiddy belongs to my friend, their tumblr is inktostories


End file.
